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While guiding Paula’s growth, one thing I wrestled with was the question of the World Shadow. Specifically: should I let her come into contact with it?

On the surface, the secret psychic organization Amaterasu claims its mission is to fight the World Shadow. This Shadow, said to be the embodiment of humanity’s violent impulses, feeds on people to grow stronger. Espers are its preferred prey: bait meant to draw attention away from ordinary humans, while at the same time serving as hunters who stalk and destroy it.
By that logic, it’s strange that Paula—who has already awakened to psychic power—has never encountered the World Shadow even once.

But in truth, fighting the Shadow is little more than a staged “daily event,” meant to add some drama to an esper’s gray adolescence.
Even if you awaken to psychic powers, the world remains largely peaceful. There are no monsters, no evil organizations plotting world domination, and most incidents get resolved by the police long before they’d ever need an esper’s help. That’s exactly why the Shadow exists: to create opportunities for espers to use their powers and shine.

Viewed from that angle, Paula’s life already has far more than just a “touch of color.”
She’s attending a school infiltrated by a shady so-called secret society, awakened psychic powers, saved a bullied classmate, juggles studies and psychic training while moonlighting as a masked schoolyard enforcer, then lost her uncle and mentor—only for St. Germain to creep into her life…
She’s already fighting plenty. Her world is painted in neon colors.

If I were to throw the World Shadow at her now, she’d be overwhelmed.
Paula has already found reasons to fight and ways to use her powers without me setting up a single enemy.
So I decided to compromise: just a light, quick introduction to the Shadow, nothing more.

After Benjamin’s death, Paula’s work as a school guardian expanded. She began actively patrolling all over New York, throwing herself into community safety work.
Just as her uncle once did, she spent her spare hours roaming the city: guiding lost tourists, tying up car thieves and handing them to the police, helping someone wash their car, or making shoplifters return stolen goods.
When a situation called for force, she summoned Pinky Bouncer. When it didn’t, she relied on her own stocky frame, waddling earnestly toward solutions.
She wasn’t solving high-profile cases in flashy ways, but she was steadily stacking up small victories—making the world a little better, bit by bit, without question.
She was clearly busier than ever, constantly moving whenever she was awake, but she radiated far more life than she had before awakening her powers. She’d been understandably gloomy right after Benjamin’s passing, but since taking up his patrol route, even that gloom seemed to have vanished.

Hank supported Paula from the digital side, trying to hack into city surveillance systems and security networks to help her patrols. He had failed every single attempt so far.
I felt bad for him, but that was only natural. Any system a high schooler with “some computer skills” could easily crack would be laughably fragile in the first place. ¹

So, Shiori and I decided to approach Paula and Hank directly. We caught them on their way home from school and invited them to a nearby open-air café terrace to talk.
We could have staged an encounter with the World Shadow, swooped in to save them, and used that drama as a pretext to explain everything: *“Those were creatures called the World Shadow, and we’re from a secret organization called Amaterasu…”* The whole song and dance. But considering Paula’s mental and physical exhaustion from constantly running at her limit, we chose not to burden her further.
Words would be enough for now. She only needed to know of the Shadow’s existence, and of the organization that fought it.

“—Therefore, from now on, you’ll be at greater risk of attacks by the World Shadow. If possible, I’d like you to fight alongside us.”
“…And what proof do you have that any of this is true?”
“None.”

Shiori smiled, plucked the overly sweet cup of tea from Paula’s hands by stopping time for an instant, and handed it back as if nothing had happened.
Paula fell silent. Of course, that little demonstration only proved Shiori’s time-stopping ability, not the existence of the Shadow. How she processed this conversation was entirely up to her.
After a moment’s thought, Paula spoke.

“I think you are the real Invisible Titan and the Time Lady. But, no offense, I don’t know if you’re truly a righteous organization fighting some great evil. You could be lying to manipulate me. I’ll decide for myself what’s good and what’s evil, what I should fight, using my own eyes, ears, and mind.”
“Wise words.”

Quite thoughtful for someone her age, and Shiori agreed to that with a genuine smile.
Even I, the silent “nodding tough guy” at her side, silently applauded Paula as well.
Her grades weren’t extraordinary, but if she could maintain such clear thinking amid this bizarre situation, her future was bright. She lacked knowledge, perhaps, but not wisdom.

“In fact, there’s a possibility all this ‘World Shadow’ talk is just made up, and the Earth faces no such threat whatsoever—”

I flinched involuntarily, and Shiori promptly stepped on my foot under the table.
It was the first time anyone had voiced that suspicion aloud. Impressive.

“—It is common tropes, in comics, for the enemy to turn out to be good, and for the supposed ally to be evil in disguise. So, yeah, I’ll keep what you said in mind, but I’ll decide for myself what to do. Does that work for you?”
“…Yes.”

I said, glancing at Shiori for confirmation. She gave me a tiny nod.
Maybe Paula was mixing reality and fiction, but that wasn’t necessarily a flaw. Comics could teach valuable lessons too. Paula had probably absorbed much of her worldview through them, and there was nothing laughable about that.

The conversation ended. We exchanged contact information, and Shiori signaled for the bill.
While she handled payment, Hank, who had been restless and mostly silent, leaned toward me and whispered:

“Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Do I have the potential for psychic powers?”
“No.”
“…”

He visibly deflated. Sorry buddy.
For real, though, his comic collection and browsing history are all gore, guro, and vigilante splatterfests. Every story he likes is about someone using superpowers to mete out brutal justice on villains. Sure, helping Paula shows he’s probably a good kid, but he might just snap if I give him superpowers. Maybe all the years of bullying had left him with plenty of pent-up rage…

After paying, Shiori said to Paula as we left:

“Be careful, Paula Port. True Evil has slipped amongst yours before you even know it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean…?”

Giving Paula an enigmatic smile, Shiori took my arm, and walked away.

If Paula was serious about taking up her uncle’s mantle and protecting New York, her path would inevitably lead to a clash with St. Germain. Their confrontation was unavoidable. However, St. Germain was so frighteningly competent that Paula could be crushed without even realizing it. Without some nudges and hints, the fight wouldn’t even be fair.
Shiori’s cryptic warning was exactly that: a hint. What Paula chose to think and how she acted next would be, as she herself said, entirely her own decision.